Abstract

Introduction. Currently, agricultural and forestry systems have been strongly affected by the variability in climatic phenomena such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Due to these circumstances, a proper and efficient management of natural resources like soil and water becomes mandatory to attain sustainability. Therefore, the study of soil physical properties such as soil water content and its corresponding energy state (known as water potential) is fundamental. Objective. To describe the main methodologies employed to determine soil water content and soil water potential, as well as the selection criteria and its possible implications in natural resources (soil and water) management. Methods. Within soil water content, we refer to direct methodologies such as gravimetric measurements, as well as indirect methods based on the assessment of soil electromagnetic properties. Meanwhile, methods to determine soil water potential can be separated as field and laboratory measurement methods. Within the last methods, they can be categorized depending on the range of measurement, being those high-water potential values (close to wet soil state; tension < 0.1 MPa) and low-water potential values (close to dry soil state; 0.1 - 1.5 MPa tension). Analysis. All these aforementioned methodologies were contrasted by their strengths, weaknesses, as well as its potential use within different agricultural systems. Conclusion. A proper choosing of methods for analysis of both soil physical properties becomes fundamental for a proper management of soil and water resources, impacting positively the productivity and sustainability of agriculture and forestry systems, and their associated ecosystemic services.

Keywords: soil physics; hydrology; irrigation and drainage; natural resources management; metrology